The Northern Illinois Huskies finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 11-17 straight up, including 7-11 in conference play, which was good for fifth place in the Mid-American Conference West Division.
The Huskies finished in the red against the sportsbooks for 2004-05 with a mark of 13-14 against the spread, with no real patterns of winning or losing streaks during a nothing season.
Big leaps and falls were possible
Life in the MAC meant that big leaps and falls were possible, if not probable, both on the court and at the sportsbook. And this would prove to be the case with the NIU Huskies for 2005-06.
Northern Illinois opened the season with a 51-87 loss at Missouri State as 7.5-point dogs. That was followed by a 102-61 unlined blowout home win over Aurora.
Nice run
Back on the board at home against DePaul, the Huskies began a nice run against the spread with a 77-68 win and cover as 1-point chalks. That was followed by a 73-69 win at Toledo as 8.5-point dogs. Northern Illinois got a third straight payoff with a 64-42 blowout home win over Wright State as 7.5-point chalks.
Northern Illinois kept it going with a 54-55 loss at Illinois-Chicago as 3-point dogs and then a 75-70 overtime home win over Kansas State as 2-point chalks to complete a string of five consecutive payoffs.
Reversal
The Huskies saw the string of wins against the board end with an 80-78 win over San Jose State as 9-point neutral court overlays, which launched a complete reversal of fortunes for Northern Illinois against the college basketball pointspreads.
Still on a neutral court in their next game, the Huskies scored a 56-57 loss to North Dakota State as 8-point chalks. That was followed by the start of the MAC schedule in earnest as Northern Illinois was upset at home by Miami-Ohio 56-58 as 2-point chalks.
The Huskies suffered a fourth straight loss against the board with an 84-82 home win over Buffalo in overtime as 4.5-point chalks. That was followed by a 75-74 win at Bowling Green as 3-point chalks and then a 73-86 loss at Akron as 8-point dogs for a sixth consecutive loss against the college basketball board.
Right back into the tank
Northern Illinois got a brief pause to the bleeding of red ink with a 64-59 home win over Ohio as 1.5-point dogs but then went right back into the tank starting with a 61-72 loss to Kent State as 2.5-point chalks. That was followed by a 66-67 home loss to Toledo as 5-point chalks and then a 49-43 win at Central Michigan as 7-point chalks for a third straight loss against the spread.
Red ink continued
Northern Illinois got a much needed cover in a 67-55 win at Eastern Michigan as 5.5-point chalks. That was followed by a 73-67 home win over Ball State as 6.5-point overlays. After an 86-60 home win over Western Michigan as 7-point chalks, the red ink continued with a 67-78 loss at Ohio as 6-point dogs. That was followed by a 55-67 loss at Kent State as 7.5-point dogs for a third failure in five games against the board, and a twelfth loss in their last fifteen games against the spread.
Bargain Values
Northern Illinois closed the season as bargain values starting with a 97-98 loss/cover at Winthrop as 7.5-point dogs. That was followed by an 80-70 win over Central Michigan as 14.5-point overlays. The Huskies closed with three consecutive SU&ATS wins over Eastern Michigan, at Ball State, and at Western Mich. They then got a loss/push in the MAC tourney.